48 Facts About Rob Brydon

Robert Brydon Jones is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer.

Rob Brydon gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio.

Rob Brydon was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday Honours in 2013 for services to comedy and broadcasting, and for charitable services.

Rob Brydon has acted in a number of shows for the BBC with Steve Coogan starting with 24 Hour Party People and A Cock and Bull Story.

Rob Brydon was born on 3 May 1965 in Baglan, Glamorgan.

Rob Brydon's mother, Joy Jones, was a school teacher, and his father, Howard Jones, was a car dealer.

Rob Brydon was educated at two private schools: St John's School in Porthcawl, which Eddie Izzard attended, and Dumbarton House School in Swansea until the age of 14.

Rob Brydon has said that his primary childhood influences in comedy were Barry Humphries, Frankie Howerd and Woody Allen.

Rob Brydon has said that he used to memorise entire sketches by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers.

Rob Brydon left after a year, to join Radio Wales at the age of 20.

Rob Brydon developed his Marion and Geoff story from this.

In 1994 and 1995 Rob Brydon appeared in numerous episodes of the original Radio Wales version of the cult comedy Satellite City with Boyd Clack.

Notably on 1 April 2011, Rob Brydon appeared during Bruce's absence, as him, as an April Fools' Day joke, for the entire show.

Rob Brydon began to find small roles in several successful films and television series.

Rob Brydon provided several voices for the Discworld computer games, voicing the main character, Lewton, in the Discworld Noir, and for radio and television programmes such as Eurotrash.

Rob Brydon is known for voice-over work in television advertising, including for Renault, Tango, The Times, Tesco, Abbey National, Sainsbury's, McDonald's, Pot Noodle, Domino's Pizza, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, The Observer and Fairy Liquid.

Rob Brydon has provided voices in animated films such as The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom and continuity announcements for BBC 1.

Rob Brydon plays as Keith Barret, a naive taxi driver going through a messy divorce from his wife, Marion, who, though he fails to realise it, has had a long-standing affair with her colleague, Geoff.

From 2004 to 2005 Rob Brydon starred in The Keith Barret Show which was a fictional spoof of a BBC chat show.

Ed Potton of The Times found that the series "provides the perfect platform for host Rob Brydon, playing a demonic version of himself, to mimic and abuse his guests".

Since these series Rob Brydon has developed a career path as a character actor, in both comedic and serious roles.

Rob Brydon portrayed controversial theatre critic Kenneth Tynan in the BBC Four film Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore, opposite Julian Sands as Laurence Olivier.

Also in 2006, Rob Brydon first appeared on the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

Rob Brydon's singing voice earned the unprecedented accolade from the former host, Humphrey Lyttelton, of being "not bad".

Rob Brydon narrated a two-part programme on BBC Radio 4, The Pain of Laughter: The Last Days of Kenneth Williams.

In other radio work Rob Brydon sat in for Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 for one day only on 25 August 2008.

In February 2009, it was announced that Rob Brydon would be one of three people to replace Lyttelton as chairman of the 51st series of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

Rob Brydon appeared as guest panellist in the first two episodes of series 52, chaired by Jack Dee.

Rob Brydon returned as a guest panellist in the last two episodes of series 54 in January 2011.

Rob Brydon had appeared as a guest panellist on the show during the previous season.

Rob Brydon has presented an episode of Have I Got News for You and has appeared on BBC Radio 4's panel game Just a Minute.

Between September and October 2011, Rob Brydon starred alongside Kenneth Branagh in Francis Veber's play The Painkiller at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.

Rob Brydon reprised his role with Branagh, in March and April 2016, at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End.

Whilst not calling himself an impressionist, Rob Brydon says he "started out as an impressionist" but will "bristle" when described as such.

Rob Brydon's impressions include Alec Guinness, James Dean, Michael J Fox, Richard Burton, Tom Jones, Michael Caine, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Corbett.

Rob Brydon is noted for his "Small Man in A Box" impression.

In 2010 Rob Brydon starred alongside Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's partially improvised BBC Two sitcom series The Trip, in which both actors played fictionalised versions of their public personas.

Coogan and Rob Brydon reprised their roles as themselves in the follow up films The Trip to Italy, The Trip to Spain, and The Trip to Greece.

Rob Brydon appeared as a host on episode two of series five of the BBC series of Live at the Apollo.

In 2010 Rob Brydon took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

Rob Brydon was one of six comperes for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert held outside Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2012.

Rob Brydon had roles in the stop-motion animated film Early Man and the British comedy Swimming with Men.

Rob Brydon portrayed Richard Nixon in the FX series Trust.

In 2022 Rob Brydon appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends revue, including alongside Haydn Gwynne in "The Little Things You Do Together", the marital battle from Company.

Rob Brydon was married to Martina Fitchie from 1992 to 2000.

On 6 October 2006, Rob Brydon married Clare Holland, a former producer on The South Bank Show, at the church of St John the Baptist in Windsor, Berkshire.

Rob Brydon is a supporter of Harlequins rugby union club.

Rob Brydon was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to comedy and broadcasting, and for charitable services.